When I was growing up it was an expectation to be free from debt, ie: mortgage, loans, etc., by the time near retirement.

What has in fact proved to be reality is quite the opposite.

Whereas “debt” was once perceived to be a shameful state, it is now considered to be the absolute norm!

We have been asleep at the wheel, as we have been suckered into a system where we are little more than Serfs.

So what is a “Serf” I hear you ask?

Wikipedia sums it up thus: Serfs who occupied a plot of land were required to work for the Lord of the Manor who owned that land, and in return were entitled to protection, justice and the right to exploit certain fields within the manor to maintain their own subsistence.

Indebtedness, in other words, is the key to not owning one’s own existence.

Many of my friends and family are waking up to the fact that theirs is a debt-based existence. Some have confided in me, that they will have to stay in work past official retirement age, in order to service the inflated mortgage they are now tied to.

Once in retirement, the family home will have to be sold!

And this, at a time when many adult children are moving back into the family home!

In past blogs I have offered advice in terms of the practical adjustments you can make to your home in order to make it easier and cheaper to run.

If you have a huge mortgage, think of selling while prices are fairly high.

Trade down to something small and affordable.

Land, no matter how small, once bought and paid for, will be a great buffer against the vagaries of the present crumbling financial system.

If you continue to live in the cities, pressurize your local politicians for Allotments and Community Gardens, where food can be grown and a sense of self-support maintained.

This approach has proved itself already in post-Soviet Russia and in Cuba as well as other countries.

Here’s a link to how Permaculture ensured continued food support to the people of Cuba in a time of sanctions…yes, it works!

Bealtaine Cottage is one of my favorite places to visit! I have admired the candle holders that you have on your mantle for a long time. They look like they are wrought iron and hand made. Where did you find them?

Wishing you a joyous Holiday Season with many more Blessings in the coming New Year!

All the candle holders have been found at Boot Sales…similar to Yard Sales but with a market feel, so they are all pre-loved. They are popular in Europe and can be found in many Craft Shops. Try Etsy on-line for similar, as that would be a great place to start.
Blessings XXX
Colette

Thank you Colette for once again summarizing beautifully the large macro challenges each of us face, and with grace and serenity. Funny the last part mentions bread and soup for we were just discussing that. Will took a run at making bread (successfully) and I just said last night I’m going to continue to make a whole bunch of soup as we proceed through the Winter.

cheers to all of us whom are waking up – may you find compassion for yourself and others as we awaken from this slumber.

I’m not sure how far the past was better than now – not that I am suggesting now is good by any stretch of the imagination……

In any case, this was a thought-provoking post. And timely in view of the season, looking forward into the new year. I am fortunately in that I have a job which pays sufficiently for me not to need to work full time, which means I freer to make soup (in reality as well as metaphorically). It took a change in mindset to do that and I am glad I did 🙂

Very thought-provoking post Colette. It’s important to distinguish between serfs and peasants – it’s true as noted by Laura above that serfs had it quite abit better than today’s debt slaves ( eg. those trying to live on the minimum wage); there was actually more equality then, not less, than there is today. But serfs didn’t own the land they worked on, unlike many medieval peasants, and even those peasants who were tenants of the land they worked were more self-sufficient than serfs, and more so than most people today. We criticise the feudal system of work, thinking how fortunate we are with our contemporary work ethic, but as any examination of the manorial system of the 11th to 15th centuries would attest, the supposed illiterate bonded peasants had more freedom, more money and more self-sufficiency than does the average wage slave of today. Before 1600, the average peasant was living extremely well and was more free than is generally thought. He was living the mirror image of the life to which today’s middle classes aspire – a big house in the country, with land for his animals and the production of food. What’s more, he only had to work for a day or two each week on the manorial land – each tenant peasant having his own agreement with the lord of the manor – but generally the rent was only a fraction of his wages for a holding of several acres. Then along came Henry VIII who attacked the old ways and created the individualisation of ownership – leading to the mortgage – which puts all the burden of buying a house on the individual. The rest is history!

If we are to reclaim our right to possession of life’s necessities without getting into enormous debt we need a restoration of the peasantry, along with de-enclosure of our land. But corporatisation doesn’t understand this. Catastrophe alone can teach it to understand. Frugality is freedom. Love and light x

Our modern capitalistic way of life is an illusion of security. Everything depends on going to the job to make the money to maintain the life. So many ways the system can fail, both from inside and outside influences. My husband and I have worked very hard to own our land free and clear and become debt free, and we finally are there, but there are still the taxes to pay each year so we have to find ways to make enough income to at least cover those. I could live without elec if necessary, and our water is running from a spring on the mountain behind us, so we’d at least have indoor plumbing no matter what, ha. Now I’m working on learning to grow more of our food. I harvest our medicines for the most part from the wilds around us. Our contemporaries thought us insane to leave the comforts of suburban life with all the perks. I am *almost* finally breathing a bit easier after having escaped it. Love your site and the encouragement you are always offering people. It’s like light in the darkness to many, I’m sure.

Great advice, Colette. Also, just as a side note, my partner David and I recently watched a video by Month Python’s Terry Jones, who is actually a Medieval scholar. Serfs had it quite a bit better than today’s debt slaves. They were far more self sufficient, had 80+ holidays per year, dark skies full of stars and blue skies without chemtrails. No GMO’s, and many of the serf living conditions, though simple, were roomier and better outfitted than today’s slums. In terms of sovereignty, the serfs had far more than we do today with our bogus political system and its phony parties. The video is called Medieval Lives, by Terry Jones. It’s VERY interesting! A good way to ask questions without needing to voice them to people who are completely attached to the hamster wheel.

Thanks for modeling ways of liberation. The simple things are often most powerful. 🙂

That is a brilliant series…much of what I watch on the Tube has to do with history. And you are correct in what you say, for serfs had a certain security of tenure as opposed to the fragility of tenure most people live in today.
Blessings X

As usual you are correct. We have started making homemade vegetable soup and it’s a meal in itself. And two people can get multiple meals from a large pot. We toss in whatever is on hand and enjoy. Thank you for your blog. Johanna and Bob